As Seimei pondered, Minato Namikaze spoke up decisively.
"Hizashi- senpai," he began without wasting any words, "you'll be in charge of identifying the weakest point in the Mist Ninja's encirclement. Inoichi and Shibi will assist you. Everyone else, prepare for battle."
"Yes!"
The group responded in unison and immediately began checking their gear.
Hizashi Hyuga activated his Byakugan and, after scanning for a moment, pointed to the left. "This way!"
Without another word, he dashed in the indicated direction.
Minato followed closely, and the rest of the group hurried after them.
Meanwhile, Inoichi Yamanaka expanded his sensory abilities, meticulously assessing the surroundings to support Hizashi's efforts and relay Minato's commands when needed.
Shibi Aburame released a swarm of parasitic insects into the area to further ensure the team's safety.
Time ticked by.
Fifteen minutes later, the group, guided by Hizashi's near-omniscient Byakugan, weaved through the terrain, exploiting gaps in the Mist Ninja's defenses. Taking advantage of the enemy's inability to cover all areas at once, they slipped through multiple temporary blockades and finally emerged from Oil Port.
Once out, they quickened their pace, swiftly distancing themselves from the port.
Just as a sigh of relief began to settle over them, Hizashi, leading the way, suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong, senpai?" Minato asked immediately.
Hizashi's expression was grim as he scanned the surroundings. "We may already be surrounded," he said.
The group was alarmed.
Seimei wasted no time. Activating his Wind Release: Wings of the Wind, he ascended into the sky to survey the area from above.
Previously, he avoided flying to prevent drawing attention to their location. But now, with their position already compromised, discretion was no longer a priority.
From his vantage point, Seimei activated his Sharingan, scanning the surroundings. As expected, a large number of Mist Ninjas were positioned about a kilometer away. Only a small fraction had breached that range, which explained why Hizashi only now sensed them.
Clearly, the Mist Ninjas were playing a calculated game. Having once obtained a Byakugan, they were well aware of its detection limits and had set their encirclement accordingly.
As for how they tracked the group, it wasn't hard to deduce.
Fleeing for their lives, the group hadn't had the luxury of erasing all traces of their passage. The Mist Ninjas, failing to locate them within the port, simply followed these clues. With time and effort, finding their trail and forming a surrounding net was only natural.
These thoughts flashed through Seimei's mind in an instant. He quickly identified the direction with the fewest Mist Ninjas and called down to Minato. "This way!"
Minato looked to Hizashi for confirmation.
Hizashi used his Byakugan again, but after a moment, he shook his head. "The enemy is beyond my detection range. I can't determine their exact numbers or strength."
Minato contemplated briefly before giving a decisive command. "Everyone, move in that direction immediately."
At the same time, he addressed Seimei. "Stay airborne and guide us as needed."
"Understood." Seimei nodded and flew ahead, maintaining a distance from the team to avoid compromising their location further.
Although the Mist Ninjas likely had a general idea of their position, they didn't know their exact location; otherwise, they would have already launched an attack. Instead, the enemy was methodically tightening their encirclement to limit the group's mobility.
To ensure secure communication, Seimei and Inoichi relied on the perfected Telepathic Technique, capable of maintaining contact even over a distance of 20 kilometers.
Time continued to slip away.
Under Seimei's guidance, the group determined their general direction while Hizashi's Byakugan helped them navigate around scattered enemy squads.
Naturally, Seimei's movements in the sky didn't go unnoticed by the Mist Ninjas. However, because he had separated from the team, the enemy failed to locate Minato and the others.
In fact, Seimei's aerial maneuvers even misled the Mist Ninjas into searching in the wrong direction.
That said, Seimei couldn't stray too far from the team. It wasn't due to communication limitations, as his perfected Telepathic Technique covered a sufficient range. Instead, it was a matter of vision.
Even from above, Seimei's visibility in the dark was limited. To guide the team effectively, he had to remain relatively close to them, which gave the Mist Ninjas an opportunity to track their progress.
Ultimately, this became a race against time. It was a matter of whether Minato's group could break through the encirclement before the Mist Ninjas pinpointed their exact location.
Despite their efforts, the Mist Ninjas, with the advantage of familiarity with the terrain, managed to anticipate the group's trajectory. They set up a blockade on the route leading to the Konoha defense perimeter.
Fortunately, due to limited time and ongoing attacks by Konoha forces on the outer perimeter, the Mist Ninjas couldn't muster many reinforcements for the blockade.
From above, Seimei observed the hastily erected defenses. He reported the details to Minato, who quickly made a decision: force their way through.
The decision was both practical and strategic. The chosen path was not only their shortest route to Konoha's defense perimeter but also led into a dense forest laced with Konoha's traps. The Mist Ninjas wouldn't dare pursue them there.
While the blockade was a challenge, the number of enemy forces was manageable. If the group worked together, they stood a good chance of breaking through before reinforcements arrived.
Minato's resolve was clear. Any delay or change of course would only increase their peril.
(Chapter ends.)